| Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, nominated for 10 Academy Award nominations, captured the Oscar Award for best non-English language film. "Crouching Tiger" centers on the disappearance of a legendary sword, which leads two martial-arts experts to do battle with a dangerous assassin and her young protege. Director Ang Lee blends Chinese historical drama, martial arts, romance, spirituality, modern visual techniques into the most cinematic martial arts movie. Chow Yun-Fat stars as Li Mu Bai, an aging warrior who tried to retire from Jiang Hu (warrior) life style, Michelle Yeoh stars as Yu Shu Lien, a woman close to Li Mu Bai and a incredible martial arts expert herself, Zhang Ziyi stars as Jen Yu a teenager who eventually sees herself as a woman who wants to live her life the way she wants to, and Chang Chen stars as Lo (a.k.a. Dark Cloud), a bandit who steals from the wealthy and falls in love with Jen. An incredible plot, exhilarating fight sequences, and sensual romance make this the most exhilarating and most powerful film of the year. The fantasy aspect of the film comes into play whenever the three protagonists fight. They possess seemingly magical powers, literally vaulting across roofs, running up walls, and moving with superhuman ease. These powers are explained in the movie only by the protagonists' training and secret knowledge of the Wudang school of martial arts. "A breathtaking epic love story set in mythical China, where saber wielding Taoist masters--most of them women--save the day."--Lee Yanowitch, Reuters "A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone [with] a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make The Matrix seem downright quaint by comparison."--Michael Rechtshaften, Hollywood Reporter [The film is] "a blending, not a collision, of Eastern physical grace and Western intensity of performance, of Hong Kong kung fu directness and British attention to behavioral nuance."--Richard Corliss, Time Asia cover story (7/10/00) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is produced by Sony Pictures Classics, Good Machine International, and Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia. |
